Au Natrurale?
- Organic food production maintains biodiversity, ecological balance, natural plant fertilization, natural pest management, and soil integrity
- Organic foods are:
o Grown/raised to minimize negative impact on the environment
o Produced on land that is free of toxic pesticides and fertilizers for at least 3 years
o Planted on a rotating basis within the farm system
o Livestock and animals are fed using organic feed and do not use hormones or antibiotics
Organic vs. Sustainable- Organic products can be unsustainable
- Certification
o Organic farms must be independently certified and approved by the USDA on a yearly basis
o Organic is a certification, not necessarily sustainable
- Animal Welfare- Organic farmers need to give animals access to outdoors
o Farmers can keep animals inside and give them an open door or window, which is considered access to outdoors
- Antibiotics/Pesticides
o No antibiotics can be fed to organic livestock, even if a sick animal needs it
o No restriction for antibiotics in sustainable farming § Have the option when their livestock is sick § If an animal does get medication, the products of the animal is not used for a period of time to allow the medicine to pass through the system
o Pesticides and preservatives can be used, they are synthetic materials that are approved by the USDA
- Size
o There is no limit on how many acres can be used to grow crops on organic farms § More trees and land are cleared for organic farmers
o Sustainable farmers grow on smaller lands and mix the crops on the land to control pests and for soil fertility
- “Food Mile”
o Organic food can be shipped around because of the corporations that sell it, and this transportation effect is not considered
o A study conducted by researchers in the Department of Rural Economy at the University of Alberta showed that when the organic produce is transported long distances, it can nearly cancel out the benefits of it being organically grown
o Sustainable farmers sell their crops to locals
- Corporations
o Organic food can be bought by corporations
o Sustainable farms are owned and operated by small farmers who live on the land they farm
Since the popularity of organic foods has increased in the recent years, corporations have taken notice and have been buying organic companies, compromising the sustainability of organic farming.
- Heinz owns several brands as well as Safeway
- Encouraged by Wal-Mart
- Corporate involvement threatens the small sustainable farms
o Encourages farm consolidation and creating more competition for small farmers, who are usually the sustainable farmers
- Corporate organic farms cut corners and push down prices, threatening sustainable farmers
o They advocate and lobby for synthetic products to be used, as long as they’re approved by the USDA
Organic products have been tested for health benefits and taste and have had positive results. It also does have environmental benefits so an organic farm can be sustainable. However, it has the potential to not be, by abusing animals, using synthetic chemicals, clearing land, and traveling thousands of miles to displace its benefits.
Solution
- Buy locally grown food and support local organic farmers to keep them sustainable
- Keep corporations out of organic business, or make them be sustainable through laws to restrict them
Resources
Bourn, Diane, and John Prescott. "A Comparison of the Nutritional Value, Sensory Qualities, and Food Safety of Organically and Conventionally Produced Foods." Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition (2002). Department of Food Science, University of Otago. Web. <http://www.misa.umn.edu/vd/bourn.pdf>.
- Organic food production maintains biodiversity, ecological balance, natural plant fertilization, natural pest management, and soil integrity
- Organic foods are:
o Grown/raised to minimize negative impact on the environment
o Produced on land that is free of toxic pesticides and fertilizers for at least 3 years
o Planted on a rotating basis within the farm system
o Livestock and animals are fed using organic feed and do not use hormones or antibiotics
Organic vs. Sustainable- Organic products can be unsustainable
- Certification
o Organic farms must be independently certified and approved by the USDA on a yearly basis
o Organic is a certification, not necessarily sustainable
- Animal Welfare- Organic farmers need to give animals access to outdoors
o Farmers can keep animals inside and give them an open door or window, which is considered access to outdoors
- Antibiotics/Pesticides
o No antibiotics can be fed to organic livestock, even if a sick animal needs it
o No restriction for antibiotics in sustainable farming
§ Have the option when their livestock is sick
§ If an animal does get medication, the products of the animal is not used for a period of time to allow the medicine to pass through the system
o Pesticides and preservatives can be used, they are synthetic materials that are approved by the USDA
- Size
o There is no limit on how many acres can be used to grow crops on organic farms
§ More trees and land are cleared for organic farmers
o Sustainable farmers grow on smaller lands and mix the crops on the land to control pests and for soil fertility
- “Food Mile”
o Organic food can be shipped around because of the corporations that sell it, and this transportation effect is not considered
o A study conducted by researchers in the Department of Rural Economy at the University of Alberta showed that when the organic produce is transported long distances, it can nearly cancel out the benefits of it being organically grown
o Sustainable farmers sell their crops to locals
- Corporations
o Organic food can be bought by corporations
o Sustainable farms are owned and operated by small farmers who live on the land they farm
Since the popularity of organic foods has increased in the recent years, corporations have taken notice and have been buying organic companies, compromising the sustainability of organic farming.
- Heinz owns several brands as well as Safeway
- Encouraged by Wal-Mart
- Corporate involvement threatens the small sustainable farms
o Encourages farm consolidation and creating more competition for small farmers, who are usually the sustainable farmers
- Corporate organic farms cut corners and push down prices, threatening sustainable farmers
o They advocate and lobby for synthetic products to be used, as long as they’re approved by the USDA
Organic products have been tested for health benefits and taste and have had positive results. It also does have environmental benefits so an organic farm can be sustainable. However, it has the potential to not be, by abusing animals, using synthetic chemicals, clearing land, and traveling thousands of miles to displace its benefits.
Solution
- Buy locally grown food and support local organic farmers to keep them sustainable
- Keep corporations out of organic business, or make them be sustainable through laws to restrict them
Resources
Bourn, Diane, and John Prescott. "A Comparison of the Nutritional Value, Sensory Qualities, and Food Safety of Organically and Conventionally Produced Foods." Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition (2002). Department of Food Science, University of Otago. Web. <http://www.misa.umn.edu/vd/bourn.pdf>.
"Buying Organic Food Can Harm the Planet' - Times Online." Times Online | News and Views from The Times and Sunday Times. Web. <http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1415464.ece>.
"Organic, Difference between Organic and Sustainable - The Issues - Sustainable Table." Web. <http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/organic/#difference>.
Shepherd, Mark, Bill Cormack, Bruce Pearce, Lois Philipps, Steve Cuttle, Anne Bhogal, Peter Costigan, and Roger Unwin. "An Assessment of the Environmental Impacts of Organic Farming." (2003). Web.
<http://www.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/growing/organic/policy/research/pdf/env-impacts2.pdf>.
Williams, Pamela, and James Hammitt. "Perceived Risks of Conventional and Organic Produce: Pesticides, Pathogens, and Natural Toxins." Risk Analysis 21.2 (2001). Web. <http://michiganorganic.msu.edu/Portals/0/Perceived%20risks%20with%20conv%20vs%20organic.pdf>.